Donna Haraway Proposes 'Chthulucene' as Alternative to Anthropocene in New Book

In her collection of recent essays, 'Staying with the Trouble: Making Kin in the Chthulucene', philosopher Donna Haraway critiques the concept of the 'Anthropocene' for promoting a human-centric viewpoint. She believes this perspective suggests that environmental disasters are unavoidable, proposing instead the term 'Chthulucene' to reflect a symbiotic, non-hierarchical coexistence among species. Haraway uses the Pimoa cthulhu spider from California's redwoods as a symbol of interconnectedness and incorporates Navajo ideas like hózhó to highlight the importance of balance. Her work resonates with her earlier 'Cyborg Manifesto' and artists such as Phillipe Parreno, Pierre Huyghe, and Joan Jonas. While she points to small art-activist initiatives, such as a Malagasy children's book with a lemur protagonist, she recognizes their limitations. Haraway's more radical solution advocates for lowering the global human population, summarized in the phrase 'Make kin, not babies!', to combat ecosystem degradation under capitalism. The book first appeared in the January & February issue of ArtReview, urging readers to transition from passive discussion to active engagement.